Gustave Loiseau

Durand-Ruel, Paris
Sarasin Collection, France (acquired circa 1920)
Private Collection, France (by descent from the above)
Acquired from the above circa 2018 by the present owner

The dramatic coastline of Normandy has long attracted painters seeking to capture the raw natural beauty of northern France. Gustave Loiseau was no exception. In Falaises de Normandie, the artist has captured the majesty of the iconic cliffs with a quintessentially Impressionist palette. The waters lap the shoreline under an atmospheric sky of powder blues and subtle purples. Dappled greens, yellows, browns and greys come together to convey the visceral texture of the sandy shore. The work exhibits an extraordinarily rich surface, composed using vigorous brushwork and, as such, it exemplifies the technical virtuosity Loiseau had achieved by the turn of the century. 

Loiseau shared a dealer, Paul Durand-Ruel, with Claude Monet at this time in his career and the younger artist was no doubt aware of the iconic series of works depicting the Normandy and Brittany coast undertaken by the master Impressionist during the 1880s and 1890s. As with Monet's depictions of this area, Loiseau has chosen to focus on nature's beauty and power and his composition is devoid of human presence. A devotee to painting en plein air, Loiseau would observe with a hunter’s concentration the effect of light on the texture of the rocks and the surface of the sea.